The Irish Marine Institute's facility in Newport, County Mayo. Image: Marine Institute.

Gilt-edged opportunity for geneticists

The creation of 20 new research roles, including seven related to salmonid genetics, have been today announced as part of a €6 million investment in the Irish Marine Institute's facility in Newport, County Mayo.

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The new roles will be given to scientists, post-doctoral researchers and PhDs, who will work at the Newport Research Facility (NRF) over the next 5 years on a range of research projects, including several genetics projects of great relevance to the aquaculture industry – five of the posts at NRF will be involved in researching farmed/wild salmon interactions, in a project that has secured €2.7 million over next 5 years; one of the roles at NRF will investigate linking salmon energetics to microbial diversity, in a €1.5 million 4-year project that Marine Harvest is involved in; while one role will be part of a €1.5 million project looking into why some brown trout become sea trout.

Speaking in Furnace, near Newport, County Mayo, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, said: "The Newport facility is a real example of innovation taking place in a rural community and creates exciting opportunities both now and in the years ahead. Scientists at doctoral and post-doctoral level working at the facility are involved in conducting research with not only national implications, but also international relevance. In other words, it firmly brings what is a rural area into a national and international context. This is a relatively unique research facility in operation since 1955 and I am delighted to see the continued excellent quality research that is taking place following €6 million in funding from research grants. I also wish to thank the Marine Institute and their educational partners for their efforts in building a strong international reputation for marine research and innovation."

The Marine Institute's facility in Newport is a unique research centre, where a range of cutting edge research is carried out, including genetics work across several species of salmon, sea bass and pollock; research on the catchment; and climate change. It forms one of the greatest natural laboratories for studying migratory fish in Europe. The facility offers researchers a unique opportunity to investigate catchment ecosystem events, fish genetics, fish movements (telemetry), fish stock assessment, fish mortality at sea, climate change, oceanography and aquaculture.